


Fuzzy Butterfly

by Niokuma



Series: Hauntober [16]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Hauntober, Moth - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:07:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27038449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niokuma/pseuds/Niokuma
Summary: Robert jumps off a cliff then falls out of a tree.
Series: Hauntober [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948978





	Fuzzy Butterfly

**Author's Note:**

> Rated G for General Animalness.  
> Original Work for Hauntober Prompt =Moth=  
> Characters: Nioku, Robert, Rio, Bruja

=Moth=

“Who’s this next, definitely an animal, that we’re looking for,” Nioku asked, helping Robert over a fallen log. “And how far do we have to go out here?”

“Bruja Blanca,” Rio answered, looking at the list on Nioku’s phone. “She’s quite a ways farther. How are we going to find her all the way out here?”

“Would of been nice, grah!” Nioku fell off the log and Robert giggled. “Ugh! It would have been nice knowing what we were looking for exactly. All these animals, it’s like we’re collecting animals for Demeter’s menagerie.”

“Well, whatever we’re looking for, there will probably be a swarm of her animals around her if the pattern sticks.”

Nioku managed to get back to his feet after slipping on some clutter but caught himself on the fallen log. “I hate this trek. Can we go back and find a safer route? I’d like one where we don’t have to climb over every tree in the area.”

“A direct path is the best path,” Rio stated as they continued forward.

“Even if it leads us off a cliff,” Nioku asked, grabbing a hold of Rio who looked up.

“Uh, guess not.”

Nioku released Rio and folded his arms. “We’re going to have to find a path down.”

“You too afraid to climb,” Rio asked and he looked over the edge.

“I don’t approve of free climbing,” Nioku answered. “Too dangerous. Robert, what are you doing!?” Nioku and Rio watched as Robert took a running jump off the edge of the cliff and fell to the bottom.”

“Undead can’t die from massive damage like a fall,” Rio stated. “He’ll be fine.” Rio then proceeded to climb down the cliff wall. “You can follow my grips if you’re unsure of yourself!”

“It’s not my grip or girth I’m worried about,” Nioku huffed out. “It’s my height. I’m shorter than you. How is it that the three of us are triplets? We’re too different in height.” Nioku sighed and carefully approached the cliff on his hands and knees before slowly going over the side. “Oh please, Naturia, keep this cliff-face sturdy enough to let us climb without harm.” He then proceeded to climb down.

***

“Look, we got down here unharmed,” Rio said, examining himself as Nioku fell the last few feet.

“Oof! That hurt. Help me up, Rio!”

Rio chuckled a bit before grabbing a hold of Nioku’s forearm and pulled him to his feet. “You’re covered in yuck. You’re definitely needing a bath later.” Nioku groaned and looked around. “Where’s Robert?”

“Up here,” he called out and both of them looked. Robert was stuck in a split in a branch, waving at them.

“If I didn’t know he was a Whisperer, that’d be unsettling,” Rio stated and Nioku nodded his head in agreement. “We’ll get you out of there!”

“We? I’m done climbing for a little while, my back hurts.”

Rio rolled his eyes and started climbing the tree like a jaguar.

Nioku’s eyes went wide. “Where’d you climb like that?”

“Lago de Maracaibo,” came Rio’s reply as he climbed across the branch. “I’m going to wedge you free. Not sure if you can feel pain, but if I hurt you, sorry.” Rio then proceeded to kick Robert free who fell the rest of the way to the ground with a loud yelp. Rio, more prepared for the jump, rolled as soon as he struck the ground, ending in a stand.

“If you want a number rating, I don’t know how to score you,” Nioku stated.

“Doesn’t matter, really,” he said, shrugging. “Let’s go find Bruja Blanca.”

“Hello,” Nioku said, stopping and crouching down low to look at something. “Aren’t you far from home, citrus swallowtail?”

“A what?” Rio looked at Nioku and saw that he was looking at, “a butterfly?”

“She’s not from around these parts,” Nioku said, gently picking up the butterfly and examining her. “She’s native to the South-Eastern parts of Africa and Madagascar and some parts of the Middle East. Guess we know what we’re looking for now.”

“What’re we looking for,” Rio asked.

“A gavilana,” he answered. “Biggest of the butterflies and fuzzy butterflies.”

“And which science circle is this talking?”

“Lepidopterology.”

“What does a gavilana look like?”

“It’ll be the only white thing here,” he answered, “besides Robert.”

“You’re not white,” Robert asked.

“Greco-Japanese,” Rio supplied. “Our biological father is pure-blooded Japanese while our mother is an American-born Greek. Do you know these trees, Nioku?”

“No, but you’ve got my phone and the GPS. Finish leading the way.”

Rio shrugged and used Nioku’s phone to guide them to a massive, ancient tree stump with an equally large ax in the center of it. Many an insect that would make a lepidopterologist die of shock fluttered around the ax.

“Do you see any gavilana,” Rio asked, looking around, unsure what he was looking for.

“Not exactly flying,” Nioku said, approaching the stump. He pointed at a white spot on the stump. “She’s pretty big, even for a gavilana.”

The spot Nioku was pointing at moved and started fluttering and moved to the base of the handle of the ax, facing the three boys. “Who dares disturb our ancient home?”

“We’re friends of Eero,” Rio spoke up, amazed by her massive size.

“How are you so massive,” Nioku asked. He gently stroke the body of the butterfly still standing on his hand. “It’s amazing. Is it the same magic that changed the others?”

“Yes,” she answered, “but not of the same person. I was changed many years ago, back when that one still had blood pumping through his veins.” She moved so that she was looking only at Robert. “Your sister was unkind to you, I see.”

Robert hid behind Nioku and Rio.

“Speaking of his sister,” Rio said, reaching into his pocket. “She cursed our family and we were wondering if you’d be willing to help Eero and the others to return them to their original forms.” Rio produced Tiok from his pocket and showed him to Bruja Blanca.

“My, my, Mary has grown in power, is she still a dire wraith?” Rio nodded to the question and she gave a loud sigh. “If we don’t stop her soon, she’ll become a demon. You will have my aid in restoring your family to their original forms and my aid in stopping Mary’s evil.”

Nioku perked. “You knew she was evil? Why didn’t you try to stop her before Robert died?”

“I was in the form you see me as now. There was nothing I could do to stop her at the time. Now, as an auspice-like being, as some would call me, I can finally do something.”

“You have to live for almost half a century to become something like that,” Nioku stated. “How could you have such power?”

“I studied the power that changed me. I know a good deal of the magic that had changed me. We must work fast if we are to save your family. For now, I take wing. I’d bring you with me, but I’m much too small to carry even Robert. I will see you when you meet up with us. Farewell until then.” She took off to the sky and flew out of sight.

“What animal sciences don’t you know,” Rio asked, looking at Nioku.

“Deep-sea life,” Nioku answered.

“Hydrophobic?”

“No, I just haven’t gotten to it.”

“Sure,” Rio said, rolling his eyes. “Let’s just find the last two.”


End file.
